News Detail

Chesapeake Chapter of US Lacrosse announces 2018 Hall of Fame class

1/2/2018

The Chesapeake Chapter of US Lacrosse made a strong comeback last year when it conducted a Hall of Fame ceremony for the first time in almost a decade. A pair of legendary head coaches – Jim Moorhead and Dave Cottle – joined the shrine that was initially established in 2004.

Now the organization is going bigger and better with its 2018 class, recognizing seven individuals representing a broad spectrum of the sport.

Craig Bubier, Brian Burlace and Crista Samaras reached the pinnacle of lacrosse as players, earning some of the highest accolades available.

Clint Gosnell was the epitome of what a high school coach should be during a three decade tenure at Arundel. Sue Chittim also achieved excellence as a prep coach while also growing the game on the grassroots level.

Nancy Murphy was very much a pioneer, organizing girls lacrosse on the recreation level at a time when no one else was doing so. Jim Shuck was a passionate advocate for the stick sport while serving as a coach, official and supportive parent.

Those seven individuals will be inducted into the Chesapeake Chapter of US Lacrosse Hall of Fame during a banquet scheduled for later this month. Bubier, Burlace, Chittim, Gosnell, Murphy, Shuck and Samaras will be formally feted on Jan. 25 at the Annapolis Elks Lodge.

“We have a very diverse class of deserving individuals and look forward to honoring them during this year’s induction ceremony,” said Mark Mozier, president of the Chesapeake Chapter of US Lacrosse.

The Chesapeake Chapter of US Lacrosse was founded in 2004 and held its inaugural Hall of Fame induction ceremony the following year. Skip Bullen, Buddy Beardmore, Betty Hallmark, Carin Peterson, Cathy Samaras and Brian Wood comprised the initial class.

Another Hall of Fame banquet was held in 2008 with Michael Burnett, Maureen Kimball Kelly, John Lamon, Bonnye Lang, Renee Ensor Pope and Ryan Wade being enshrined.

Internal politics led to the dissolution of the Chesapeake Chapter of US Lacrosse, which was reorganized under new leadership in 2014. In addition to reviving the Hall of Fame, the organization is also conducting clinics and coaching certifications along with performing its duty of selecting US Lacrosse high school All-Americans for the Chesapeake region.

Cottle and Moorhead became the organization’s third class of Hall of Famers when they were inducted last January. This will mark the first time in the Chesapeake Chapter’s brief history that Hall of Fame events have been held in consecutive years.

“Our goal is to organize an induction banquet every year and that gives us an opportunity to honor several other individuals from across the landscape of lacrosse in Anne Arundel County,” Mozier said.

Following are brief biographies for the seven members of the Chesapeake Chapter 2018 Hall of Fame class.

CRAIG BUBIER, ST. MARY’S HIGH/JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY

Bubier was one half of one of the greatest attack combinations in lacrosse history, teaming with Brian Wood at St. Mary’s High and Johns Hopkins University.

Bubier grew up in Annapolis and played youth lacrosse for the Peninsula Athletic League program. He stopped playing the sport while living in Ankara, Turkey, while his father was on government assignment.

Bubier returned to Annapolis in 1980 and enrolled at St. Mary’s, where he met up with Wood when both were sophomore starters. Bubier, a crease attackman, was the finishing half of the tandem and earned first team All-County honors from The Capital as a junior and senior.

Bubier and Wood were a package deal to Johns Hopkins, recruited jointly by head coach Don Zimmerman. They teamed up to lead the Blue Jays to national championships in 1984, 1985 and 1987.

Bubier was a three-time All-American, earning first team selection from the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association as a junior. The powerfully-built 6-foot-3, 220-pounder scored 92 career goals from 1984-87 and still ranks 26th in program history in that category.

Bubier set a modern day Johns Hopkins record by scoring eight goals against Navy on April 26, 1986. William Logan holds the single-game school record with nine goals against Virginia in 1927.

Bubier capped his stellar career with a four-goal effort against Cornell in the 1987 NCAA Championship game that gave the Blue Jays their third NCAA title during his career. The final goal of his career came with 1:51 remaining in the title game and proved to be the game-winner.

Bubbier was also selected as Most Valuable Player of the Division I North-South Senior All-Star game.

Bubier was named to the Johns Hopkins All-Time Team, the highest honor accorded members of the storied program. He was inducted into the St. Mary’s Athletic Hall of Fame in .

Bubier was a key member of the United States National Team that captured the Federation of International Lacrosse World Championship in 1990. He helped Team USA beat Canada, 19-15, in the gold medal game in Perth, Australia.

BRIAN BURLACE, ST. MARY’S HIGH/UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND

Burlace was an imposing and physical defenseman and key member of outstanding teams at St. Mary’s High and the University of Maryland.

The lifelong Annapolis resident was the lone returning starter and team captain of the 1988 St. Mary’s High squad that reached the MSA A Conference semifinals. He was named team Most Valuable Player, first team All-County by The Capital and first team All-Metro by The Baltimore Sun.

Burlace was later selected to the Anne Arundel County All-Decade team for the 1980s by Arundel Sun sports editor Pat O’Malley.

Burlace received a scholarship to Maryland where he played for head coach Dick Edell and became a three-year starter. The 6-foot-3, 230-pounder combined strength and power with quickness and agility – developing a reputation as a hard hitter who also played sound position defense.

Burlace was selected first team All-Atlantic Coast Conference in 1991 and 1992 and had the honor of being the first player in Coach Edell’s coaching career to be chosen as team captain as both a junior and senior.

After being named second team All-American by the USILA in 1991, Burlace reached the pinnacle of the sport by earning first team honors in 1992. He was presented with the William C. Schmeisser Award as the Most Outstanding Defenseman in Division I, one of only two players from Anne Arundel County to ever receive that prestigious honor.

Burlace, who graduated from Maryland ranked Top 10 in ground balls, played in the Division I North-South Senior All-Star game and enjoyed an outstanding club lacrosse career with the Greeen Turtle program.

Burlace, who was also an All-County and All-MSA B Conference football player at St. Mary’s High, has volunteered many hours as a coach and commissioner with the Annapolis Youth Lacrosse Association (AYLA) and the Annapolis Hawks club program. He is currently the defensive coordinator at St. Mary’s High.

SUE CHITTIM, ANNAPOLIS

Chittim has been a key figure in the massive growth of girls lacrosse in Anne Arundel County during her more than three decades as a recreation, club and high school coach.

Chittim began developing young players as an instructor with the QuickStix program that was formed in 1987 and was instrumental in molding many future collegians as head coach and co-owner of the Chesapeake Club (CC) Lax organization from 2003 through 2013.

Chittim served as head coach at Annapolis High from 1990 through 1992 and head coach at St. Mary’s High from 2003 through 2008. She led the Saints to the IAAM A Conference championship in 2005.

St. Mary’s was nationally ranked by Inside Lacrosse five out of six seasons under Chittim, peaking at No. 5 in 2005.

Chittim served as the Chesapeake Chapter of US Lacrosse All-American chair from 1990 to 2000 and was a member of the Tewaaraton Award high school committee from 2004 through 2009. She was head coach for the South squad in the Under Armour All-American game in 2008.

Chittim, a career educator, has been principal at Annapolis High since 2013.

St. Mary’s Parish, a Catholic congregation served by the Redemptorist Order, includes St. Mary’s Church and St. John Neumann Mission Church. St. Mary's Elementary and High School located in downtown Annapolis, Maryland, serve students in grades Kindergarten through 12. Anchored in faith, rooted in tradition, and committed to excellence, our programs build lifelong learners who are servant leaders.